Eye surgery marathon restores sight for over 100 people in South Africa
84-year-old Gladys Khoza reacted with delight after she was one of 133 people who had their sight restored during a cataract eye surgery “marathon” conducted by doctors in South Africa at two hospitals over two weekends last month.
Eighty-four-year-old Gladys Khoza could barely contain her joy as her world came back into focus.
“Wow,” she whispered softly, moments after a nurse removed the bandage from her eye following cataract surgery.
“Can you see me?” the nurse asked.
“Very well,” Khoza replied, her face lighting up with a wide smile.
Khoza was among 133 patients who regained their sight during a special cataract surgery “marathon” conducted across two hospitals near Johannesburg, South Africa, over two weekends last month.
For many of the patients, the moment was long overdue.
In South Africa’s public healthcare system, patients often wait years for what is considered a routine procedure. Some beneficiaries of the initiative had been on waiting lists since 2019, unable to see clearly and forced to live with avoidable blindness.
Cataracts, a common age-related condition, occur when the eye’s natural lens becomes cloudy, impairing vision. The treatment is straightforward: a surgical procedure that replaces the clouded lens with a clear artificial one.
Yet for Khoza, the impact of that “simple” surgery is life-changing.
After nearly a year of waiting, she can once again enjoy the things that matter most seeing her loved ones clearly, reading her Bible, and watching her favorite daytime television shows.
“I just wanted to be able to see,” she said.
The surgeries were carried out by a team of volunteer doctors, including Tebogo Fakude, who described the work as deeply fulfilling.
“We love to do what we do to give sight,” Fakude said. “It’s a small organ in the body, but it affects humongous things in the human lifestyle.”
At Pholosong Regional Hospital, one of the facilities involved, the operating theatre ran like a well-coordinated system. Patients were brought in roughly every hour, while soothing gospel music played in the background to keep morale high among the surgical team.
Using microscopes, specialists performed delicate procedures making tiny incisions, removing the clouded lens, and inserting a new artificial one. Outside, patients waited anxiously for their turn, hopeful for the same life-changing outcome.
The need for such interventions is urgent and widespread.
According to the World Health Organization, at least 2.2 billion people globally suffer from some form of vision impairment. Of these, around 1 billion cases could have been prevented or are yet to be treated.
Cataracts remain one of the leading causes, affecting nearly 100 million people worldwide. In Africa, the situation is even more severe, with about 75% of those needing cataract surgery still without access to treatment.
In South Africa, the challenge is compounded by systemic pressure on public hospitals, which serve over three-quarters of the country’s population. With limited resources, priority is often given to emergency and life-threatening conditions, leaving elective procedures like cataract surgery delayed.
As a result, the backlog has grown significantly. By the end of last year, more than 240,000 South Africans were waiting for cataract operations, including over 35,000 in Gauteng province alone.
Meanwhile, approximately 300,000 new cataract cases are diagnosed annually, further straining the system.
Health experts say initiatives like the surgery marathon are critical in reducing this backlog and restoring dignity to patients whose lives are deeply affected by vision loss.
For Khoza and many others, the outcome is simple but profound, a second chance to see and to live fully again.
TNAM
Edited By Egwu Patience Nnennaya.
